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September 3, 2012

Henry: Bill James To Play A Greater Role In Future

One of (the) biggest issues we've had is that [senior advisor] Bill James was a great resource for us but fell out of favor over the last few years for reasons I really don't understand. We've gotten him more involved recently in the central process and that will help greatly.

He's the father, so to speak, of baseball analysis and a brilliant iconoclast who looks at things differently from everyone else. ...

Next year is going to be about one thing: winning the AL East in 2013 and setting the stage for the next few years. We used to be satisfied with making the playoffs, but with the addition of a second wild card forcing a one-game playoff, we need to set a goal now annually to win the division.

Given where we are right now, it's a tall order to win the division next year. But we have to do everything we can to contend without repeating errors of the past — something we are determined to avoid. We strayed from our core philosophy over the past few years and have paid a terrible price for that.

I know bringing up Liverpool can be a sensitive topic among Sox fans, but here's a amusing deconstruction of a letter John Henry wrote to Liverpool fans explaining why they didn't sign enough good players over the summer.http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/sep/03/the-fiver-liverpool-john-henry-letter

Glad to hear the divisional goal. I hated when Theo would say "Just be one of the 8 teams left standing and take your chances." As if there was no way to have an advantage in the playoffs. WIth the new system you have to set sights on the D.